$100 Ideas

$200 Double Your Money Winner!

David Beamer

Oakley, Kan.

David Beamer has a small farm shop where he enjoys tackling repair jobs. It took him one afternoon to create this monitor stand from scrap metal lying around his shop. This is his second $100 idea to be featured in Farm Journal. David grows corn and wheat, the majority of which is under irrigation.

Pivoting Monitor Stand

To avoid clutter in my tractor cab, I built a mounting bracket to hold my planter and sprayer monitors. I used ¾" square tubing to make the vertical bracket, which I attached to the rollbar. The two pivoting arms, which swing independently, are made out of 7" and 9" long angle iron. I hung the monitors from the topside to allow the wires to move freely. When the monitors need to be in my line of sight, I use zip ties to secure the wires to the mounting bar to prevent a tangled mess. When not in use, the monitors can be pushed against the window out of the way.

Soil Probe Bucket

When taking soil samples, my fingers are often sore from pushing the soil core out of the probe into a bucket. So I created a simple device to do the "hard work" for me. I welded a metal rod about 1⁄2" in diameter and 6" long to a square piece of metal bolted to the bottom of a bucket. No more sore fingers!

Keith Parmley
Monticello, Ky.

Swinging Head Gate

I wanted a hinged head gate on my loading chute so I could use it to catch cattle or swing it aside when it’s not needed. On the side that swings, I welded one round piece of tubing to the top of the framework and the same at the bottom to allow it to pivot. That side is bolted to a wooden post. On the locking side, the head gate lifts up and over an 8" tall chunk of pipe secured to the framework at the bottom corner. A bracket piece on the top secures the head squeeze so the animal can’t lift the gate off the hinge.